Crafting center holds open house

Alpenhimmel Creative Arts Emporium welcomed Sisters' creative crowd to an open house last week to introduce this exciting new multi-craft center. There were a variety of tasty refreshments on hand, frequent prize drawings for craft supplies, and demonstrations of free and easy Make-N-Take projects, including paper flower arrangements, paper-wrapped pencils, and a handy mini-notebook with a picture of the Sisters horses racing into town as the cover.

Owners Charity Alva and her husband, John, welcomed visitors to their "alpine heaven," which is based on a multi-craft center Charity managed in Germany during the 25 years John worked there for the U.S. Department of Defense. It was an opportunity to create, share ideas, and offer a support system for like-minded people. That's the idea behind Alpenhimmel.

The schedule of classes is beginning to grow, and teachers are offering new projects every month. The November calendar is now available. If there is a craft not listed that you want to learn, you can request a class. The beautifully decorated, well-equipped classroom accommodates up to 12 crafters.

When no class is being held, the classroom, as well as all tools and equipment, are available for crafters to use as their own studio for $3 an hour. Studio member cards for frequent crafters are $25 for 15 hours of studio time. Supplies for paper crafting, mixed media, hand lettering, art journaling, painting, stamps and more are available for purchase in the lobby.

Studio time is available for crafting parties for groups of up to 12 people. To secure the room or a number of seats, it needs to be reserved ahead of time.

Upcoming classes are: Upcycled, Unbound, Rebound Journals (old book covers rebound with blank journal pages inside), Souvenir Photo Accordion (quick, easy way to show off your grandchildren), Design and carve your own rubber stamps, Scrapbook Canvas (mixed-media collage wall hanging), Hand-crafted Holiday Cards, and Hand Tinted B&W Photos. The public is invited to stop by to view the samples, sign up for classes, and start crafting.

John Alva drew raffle tickets and awarded prizes while Charity, bursting with the joy of a new mother, gave the steady flow of visitors the grand tour and got them involved in the make-n-take projects.

She told The Nugget, "I love to hear people say "This is so great for Sisters' because this is why we did this. I hope people love this idea and invite their friends to do crafts with them. It's also a great afternoon treat for mothers and their kids."

Alpenhimmel Creative Arts Emporium is located at 392 W. Main Ave. #3 (corner of Main and Pine), open Tuesday thru Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit online at http://www.alpenhimmel.com. For information call 541-588-0931 or email [email protected]